diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 38b38513b6..44bc5f9759 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -140,4 +140,5 @@ log/*
 
 .env
 .envrc
-etc
\ No newline at end of file
+etc
+myenv
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/sefaria/local_settings.py b/sefaria/local_settings.py
index 5ab31bef0a..dd89cba4e5 100644
--- a/sefaria/local_settings.py
+++ b/sefaria/local_settings.py
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@
 
 
 ################ These are things you DO NOT NEED to touch unless you know what you are doing. ##############################
-DEBUG = os.getenv("DEBUG", True)
+DEBUG = os.getenv("DEBUG", False)
 
 REMOTE_HOSTS = os.getenv('REMOTE_HOSTS', 'staging.pecha.org').replace(" ", "")